Roberta DuBois, age 101, of Highmore, passed away Monday, August 31, 2020, at Highmore Health.

Her funeral service was held at 11:00 AM, Friday, September 4th at St. Mary's Catholic Church at Highmore. Burial was in the Highmore Cemetery.  Her service was live streamed through Kuhler Funeral Home's Facebook page .

Memorials may be directed to the Highmore Senior Center, 103 Iowa Ave N, Highmore SD 57345; Steps for Hope, PO Box 541 Highmore SD 57345; or a charity of the donor's choice.

Margret Roberta Donovan was born June 24, 1919, to Dennis A. and Mary (Austin) Donovan at the family homestead at Hopewell, South Dakota. Hopewell was about forty miles northwest of Ft. Pierre, and the Donovan family lived at the end of the trail. Roberta attended a country school near her home for seven years and then started high school at Fort Pierre at the age of twelve. As a sophomore, she was sick with whooping cough and left school for the year. The next year Roberta continued high school at Pierre, staying in a dormitory the last two years.  She graduated from Pierre High School in 1936. Roberta then attended Spearfish Normal School for her certificate to teach in rural schools.

As her first teaching job, Roberta taught her younger brother, Dude, along with many other younger friends. For the next three years, she taught at Plainview School in Hughes County.

On January 4, 1941, Roberta married Harry Wayne DuBois at St. John's Catholic Parsonage at Ft. Pierre. After their marriage, they farmed and milked cows with Wayne's parents four miles north of Pierre. Roberta continued to teach school for a couple of years. About a year and a half after their marriage, Wayne taught Roberta how to drive one evening on their way home from her teaching school. The next morning, Wayne sent Roberta in his truck on her own to drive herself to teach school.  In 1944, Roberta and Wayne bought a cattle ranch in Stanley County where they raised their family, cattle and chickens. In 1964, Roberta and Wayne purchased their ranch in Hyde County, south of Holabird. They worked side by side with their son and daughter-in-law, Jerry and Linda, to grow their ranching operation together. Roberta and Wayne moved to Highmore in 1985.

Roberta was a member of four catholic parishes in her life time, most recently the St. Mary's Catholic Church. She said the rosary numerous times a day, always praying for her family, close friends, and those in need of extra prayers.

She was also a member of the St. Mary's Altar Guild, the Hyde County Extension Club and the Highmore Senior Center. For several years, Roberta delivered meals on wheels and gave rides to the elderly. In 2009, she moved to The Manor Apartments at Highmore. She was forced to quit driving the summer of 2013, and decided to try the nursing home Highmore Health for the winter. The staff at Highmore Health took such good care of her, that Roberta decided to stay there after that first winter. She continued to live at Highmore Health until her passing.

She enjoyed reading, playing cards, dancing, crocheting and spending time with family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 54 years, Wayne on January 6, 1995; three brothers, John Donovan, Robert and his wife, Doris Donovan, and William "Dude" and his wife, Alice Donovan; one sister, Mildred and her husband, Robert Wright; one brother-in-law, George McMennamin; and one daughter-in-law, Linda DuBois.

Grateful for having shared her life are her son, Jerry DuBois of Sioux Falls; her daughter, Evelyn Reints of Huron; three grandchildren and their spouses, Cheri and Douglas Bjorke of Huron, Joe and Jamie Zilverberg of Oregon City, Oregon, and Sarah DuBois and Rob Hollan of Sioux Falls; twelve great-grandchildren, Tori Bjorke, Jessica and Andrew Halling, Shelby (Tervor Fagen) Bjorke, Donika Bjorke, Gavin Zilverberg, Hannah Zilverberg, Jackson Zilverberg, Quinton Hollan, Braxton Hollan, Tenley Hollan, Hughston Hollan and Wynston Hollan; and three great great-grandchildren, Phillip Bjorke, Teagan Fagen and Tenley Fagen.

Roberta is also survived by two sisters, Helen McMennamin of New Jersey, and Edith Donovan of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and special friends.

Roberta's Floral Arrangements